Cybersecurity in Fintech: A Critical Analysis of the Level of Protection Provided by Saudi Arabia’s Current Legal Framework

Abstract

Cybercrime in the fintech sector is growing alarmingly in the Middle East. This is caused by the user base growth and other reasons like lack of security awareness, deficient technical capacities and legislation insufficiency. Fintech companies are a specific target for cyber criminals in Saudi Arabia. Although Saudi Arabia has much legislation to regulate and protect the companies and the users, Saudi Arabia is expected to become the biggest target for cybercrime in 21st century. This poses a serious risk as fintech is one of the main areas that the Kingdom is targeting to diversify its revenues from over-dependence on oil. It is therefore essential that the current regulatory framework is as effective as possible in order to deter cybercrime and instil confidence in both investors and the public. This paper, therefore, critically examines the cybercrime legislation in Saudi Arabia with specific focus on the fintech sector. It analyses the impact of international treaty law and domestic law, both Shari'ah and civil law. The central question that is addressed is whether these laws are sufficient to protect the fintech sector in Saudi Arabia